I like to hear a person’s real voice. Slight sharps and flats sound very human. Truly talented singers don’t need auto tune.

If I were a music artist, I would have my contract state that I had the final approval before release. Autotune must be embarrassing to artists with vocal abilities.

(Singer, written in before). I sometimes either intentionally or intuitively, go slightly sharp to give extra stress to the emotion or cry of the particular phrase or note in question. Taking all these subtleties out is taking the humanity, the feeling and the skillset out....

Alicia is honest in her disclosure of her use/non-use of technology. It's all I ask of any artist. Thank Fil for a great breakdown again!

Yes, I love her natural voice & cry. Linda Ronstadt was famous for the "cry" in her voice too. I prefer nature vs autotune/voice correction.

Oh thank goodness. I was worried you were going to tell me Alicia was an auto-tune bunny. I think she's fantastic. One of the best soul voices of the last 30 years.

I truly believe the push for autotune and pitch correction stems back to American Idol. Lol. Randy Jackson's favorite line was "Its a bit pitchy, dogg." I hated that show but my sister loved it, so I usually ended up listening to it while I read. I especially hated when they poured the cringe and made fun of the delusional. I blame singing shows for the downfall of music.

As a old fart and metalhead, I think it's time to bend an ear to Alicia Keys music, her voice and vocal delivery is mind blowing and amazing.

Back in college I did a music production course, so I'm certainly no George Martin but I have vivid memories of working on a recording long into the night; editing and correcting where I needed to etc. and then I realised that the better job I did, the less people would notice. That's the curse of the producer....most people only notice production/editing/egineering if it's done badly. Great producers just make the artist shine even more (which is 100% as it should be of course).

Nope, I did not know the difference! Yay for Alicia for crediting the Vocoder, that's very cool. Oh hey, look! 217,000 subscribers! Awesome!

I , personally, want to hear the singers real voice all the time. It's just so much better for me. I noticed it before but your analysis just points it out so much more. You begin to wonder if some of these people can actually sing 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ thanks again for educating me. Peace!! ✌✌🤘🤘🎅🎅

Isn't the beauty of the human voice that the slight imperfections can actually enhance the unique sound of the artist?

best, most thorough and understandable differentiation between autotune and pitch correction I've heard! I think musicians will always prefer the natural sound over the "robotic" sound of autotune, but the "market" shoves so much of that down the public's throats, few even realize what they're hearing.

@8:22 There should be a gentleperson's agreement in the industry that PC and AT must be disclosed if used. Good on You, Alicia!

I feel like I've been let into a secret world (well, not so secret anymore) through your auto-tune/pitch correction analyses videos. I am a visual learner, and this video was particularly fascinating to me. I also believe that musicians make better producers, because they've got a better 'ear' , so to speak. Very intriguing Fil 👍💜

Your musical knowledge never ceases to amaze me! love all the little details you point out in all of your analysis videos 👍🤘

One of the bad aspects of using auto tune is that you will have no reason to improve. You will stay mediocre at best. You will not grow as a singer. Singers who are fine with auto tune aren't real true singers. They pull out the very things that make the human voice relatable to others which is their personality. To know the difference between auto tune and pitch correction is nice. However neither of them should be used. I rather work at getting better than becoming lazy. I know the voice will change pitch when you are trying to get something across emotionally and that really is your goal. Music is about feeling. No one says I want to listen to music just to hear the correct notes. We listen to music to feel...to be moved. This is my two cents worth. Fil I appreciate your integrity so very much when it comes to all aspects of music...keep the videos coming.

A random marketing idea: make an album without any auto tune or pitch correction, and advertise that on the front. Might work for one of these new artists who are trying to imitate 90's punk&grunge.

Great vid and analysis. Its great to see you going flat out to make sharp observations about Alicia's keys ! Keep up the good work !

I enjoy these videos so much! For people like me, who know nothing about producing, but love the sound of good vocals, it is very interesting to be able to see what is real and what is not. Thank you and happy holidays!

I noticed autotuning strips harmonics and dynamic shading from the voice. This can be described as a lack of warmth or humanity in the performance. I really don't understand how anyone considers the use of autotune as an improvement. I much prefer the natural voice with all the imperfections. The only exception is for artists that cannot sing.

Pitch Correct started back in and around 1979. Strange that suddenly there was MTV and a slew of one hit wonders who were more into fashion, haircuts and dancing instead of music.

I'll say it again Fil, you've got an excellent voice man.

Thank you Fil. It’s amazing the difference between flipping a switch to full blown auto tune and the subtlety of correcting a note or two. I still enjoy those flat and sharp notes that give a song/voice so much more personality. Very well done! 👍🏻

Thanks for the wonderful reactions you do, Phil. As a self taught musician of 40+ years, my journey started as many do, with the deaf leading the deaf. Week by week, month by month, year by year, we begin to piece together this magical puzzle we call music. Funny stories are often born from discovery. One such instance was a recording session I was doing with my band in the late 80s. Our drummer was freak about accuracy. We had a song that needed hand claps. Four of us huddled around the vocal mic in the vocal booth and began attempting a simple hand clap track on the beginning, solo section, and end vamp of the song. We would listen back and the claps would be a little scattered here and there. The drummer insisted that we get the claps exactly together. Take after take after take after take. Money was flying out the window. Finally, after two torturous hours and a hundred takes, the hand claps were dead on all the way through the song. We went into the mixing room and listened back to our perfection. Guess what?!? The damned hand clap track sounded like one person clapping! We were all hiding behind each other with our claps! We finally went back to one of our sloppiest efforts and kept that.It sounded the best. This intrigued me. imperfections

Hey Fil, so glad you're doing these videos. For years I have been listening to these phenomena wondering if no one cares or if listeners simply don't hear the obvious. I love how you point out the (at first glance) almost inaudible difference in pitch quality in the mid section and mention the vocoder credit that might explain it. Thank you for having fun educating us about pitch and about how people tamper with it to create the illusion of super talented singers. Looking forward to your next video.

I could listen to that voice all day and night. There’s so much emotion in this performance. The “flaws” are what make it magical. Love her, and I love the breakdown too. Thanks Fil.

I am amazed by this technology show. It makes me marvel at the early pioneers of rock like the producer of some of the 60’s bands who would loop a singer over his own voice to make him sound stronger.

Thx Fil. Wow. There are so many intricacies involved with auto tune and pitch correction. I'm becoming smarter every video I watch. Now, retaining. You're very knowledgeable. Hope your tendons heal quickly 😊

Fun fact. Pitch correction was done in the seventies by "dumping" the vocals on to 1/4 tape, and using the pitch control on the machine and "punching" in the words on to the multitrack. In the late eighties, when the sound quality in "samplers" became good enough, we sampled bits of words and using the pitchwheel on the keyboard to correct it. Allso, using chorus effect, pitching up and down at the same time, by a few cents, mixed in on the vocal track, camouflaged the pitch. It was a massive job at times ;)

I recall David Lee Roth complaining about the 72-track recording equipment because, in his words, you could bring a camel into the studio and get a good vocal track. I think there's something to be said for that repulsion, because singers _really are_ trying to establish an emotional connection to the listener, one that is deep indeed and I think because of that, integrity should be considered foundational in the art form. Besides, art by definition must embody skill and even mastery. I can put a slab of wood into a CNC machine, load a program, and have it carve a beautiful portrait of The Madonna, but that's not art by any stretch. But I can set up a five-head moulder to make thousands of feet of custom door and window trim, and that is art because it takes skill, a good eyeball, and sometimes a truck-load of intuition* to make that hunk of metal sing. ("The Art of War" ain't about somebody's teenage angst.) Anyway, kudos to Ms. Keys. I can't stand her music and I got exactly zero joy from hearing her sing, but she is good and it was interesting to see her skill and honesty right there on a graph. Keep that in mind the next time anybody tells you that emotions and humanity can't be expressed with numbers and mathematics. And cheers to you Fil. Another excellent video for the guy you mentioned at the beginning - the one who isn't into music, that's me, and yet again I sat through the damned thing enjoying it the whole time. And Merry Christmas, or whatever the Hell you celebrate. =^_^= *Seriously. When you're mixing and matching various cutting knives to match hand-made trim some craftsman made 120 years ago, and 0.1 mm can spell the difference between success and failure...there's no algorithm for that.

Good job Fil, this is what I was saying people need to see to be able to understand the differences between the two, and I hope this gets a good response because the demonstration was good!

Great stuff, Fil. Thank you. A speedy recovery for your hand and wrist and a happy Christmas.

love that Fil used the "can get in the way of what I'm feelin..." lyric to demonstrate the dehumanizing hazards of auto-tune, and the less invasive pitch correction. (ain't nothin like the real thing tho) I appreciate stumbling on those layers

Just taking this opportunity to wish you all the best for Christmas and thanking you for your content this year. Really great.

When used without disturbing the artists live expression it's artistically helpful. Thanks for your breakdown Fil, cool. Rock !

I totally appreciate that you make a point to say the app each time now. I downloaded the paid version myself and am totally happy with it..it has increased my confidence a lot using the vocal pitch monitor and you introduced me to this app. Thank you very much again for that

Absolutely awesome and fascinating - thank you Fil for another great video. I appreciate you taking your time in explaining.

I have 2 musician brothers that tour around the world. they have declared me “tone deaf” with no remedy in the way…I no longer believe them. I watch your channel bcz I actually understand the point you are making…granted unable to use it bcz,,,.booo-hooo I still can’t hold a note! You are fantastic!

Your channel may be 1 of the few good things to come out of Covid. Thank you, I have learned so much and enjoyed doing it. Take good care of yourself and Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!!

In the words of my Music Professor, going sharp is much better than going flat.

I liked to learn of another way to use pitch correction in logic. The only thing with this method is it is by ear, if you select flex then select pitch you will be able to see all of the notes as if it was midi, and where it is sharp or flat simply drag up or down to bring it in tune.

Omg I LOVE FIL. Every single time without fail I learn, and enjoy learning about music from this ICON.

Thank you for the video and great example to explain the difference between the across the board sweeping road roller affect of autotune vs the more selective subtle use of manual pitch correction. Sometimes its difficult to get these concepts without actually hearing them in action👍🏻 Though, imo, the lifting of the pitch on the Alicia Keys example is not needed. And apparently she didnt either. I join your tip to the hat to her. (Further down Ill express why I think its not needed) As far as studio vs live in light of the use of autotune, good point. It creates an unrealistic expectation of perfection in which then the live version sounds so different that disappointment can ensue. Unfortunately if a song is so autotuned in the studio, they will just simply cake on the autotune live also. We get a double whammy of never hearing the natural vocal. On a personal note, when I go to listen and see a live concert, I am happier when there is some variation. It personalizes the art at that moment in time. Bob Dylan is a great example of this. His live work is so much different than the studio. So, for me, I dont seek a perfect copy of the song live from an artist. A bit of stage creativity makes things exciting and artistic imo. Why I dont think the pitch correction is even needed in the Alicia Keys song... In the Alcia Keys example, what the slight flatness is to my ears is to create a yearning that she is expressing. Isnt a pleading request usually stated with some depression within the vocal? Some near sadness? So technically flat, but expressively naturally correct. Again emotional creativity over sterile perfection. Also, this style of word speak nearly a talking blues lends itself to be wordy. The style itself leans more towards a bit of scatting and leniency to improvise. Its where the expressive "speak" of the song is just as important as the notes. Therefore sharp and flat becomes a bit irrelevant as compared to say "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" which has more melodic and choral feel to it. That is, the notes are held out, more defined and simplistic. So pitch variation of song is more important in one style and structure than another at times. Art Garfunkel and his straight choirboy type singing as compared to Alicia Key's more blues and trill filled singing are going to result in one case less and another case more pitch variation. Which, again, is appropriate for each song. The vocoder and effects for artistic expression.. I think this song style difference I mentioned above might also explain why Alicia used a vocoder on the chorus. While I would have rather heard her sing without that effect, she was creating this more "choral" sound. The chorus switches gears from the more spoken pleading bluesy sound to an acceptance and more dignified response. And with dignity comes more structure. So the vocoder effect gives a "proper" sound to her voice. You can almost visualize her sitting up straighter as she is expressing clarity and revelation about the songs subject matter. Hey, even the great Beatles used effects on songs such as ADT, compression, pitch variation, flanging, phasing, even a Leslie speaker. So, yes, I can see why she used it there artistically. Though Id have prefered the work of the voice. Or at least would like to hear the attempt. She is that great of a vocalist that I dont think she needs such tricks. Jim Reeves never needed a vocoder ;). But again thats artistic choice most likely.

Consistency shows ability

Another great video. As a tool to correct occasional errors and used properly, Autotune is absolutely valid. I have used it on solo instruments which are not concert pitch and stringed instruments with imperfect intonation, and it is great at that.

Thank you for taking a look at Alicia! I was happy to hear that her claims were in fact true. I’m a little late to the party, but I made it. Great Analysis Fil!

The purpose of a live performance is to incite emotion, the purpose of a recording is to stand up to repeated listening in pristine audio environment. An imperfection that would stick out on repeated listening to a recording would be just a momentary blur in a live performance, immediately flies out the window, often unnoticed.

On catch up here. I've studied music theory and took formal lessons, though have little knowledge of the recording and production aspects. Thanks for clarifying the difference between autotune and pitch correction. In some ways, I wonder if modern technology really helps to bring out the best of one's talent. Again thanks for the music education...cheers!🎵

Great stuff Fil...pitch correction is definitely a good tool - I've used it in the past. Agree 100% it should be done by ear like you say though, and used in moderation.

Thank you for this excellent video! 😎 This contributes greatly to my understanding of what is being done to the music. Thanks.✌😎

My IQ goes up about 10 points whenever I watch one of Fil's videos. Thanks Fil!

Fil your ability to explain Music and Vocals is amazing!! Thank you so much!!!!! Your Appreciation for Music in General And in so many different Genres is Absolutely amazing! May THE DIVINE BLESS YOU AND Yours ALWAYS!!!!!! Love Randy AKA JAMES WALKER

Now, Alicia is even better... Thank you. Love your vids...

Hope your wrist heals quickly. Merry Christmas. Interesting presentation as always.

Nice! Thanks for explaining the difference

Alicia is a wonderful singer and such a genuine down to earth person. I had the pleasure of meeting her in 2013 for the FAME documentary she was a part of. I already knew the difference of auto tune and pitch correction having worked in a studio and I’m a musician but I love seeing your examples and you giving longer in depth discussions about them.

Learning experience...thank you Fil.

Congrats on 217,000 subs👏 Merry Christmas Fil. ;)

Great video Phil, I am a fairly good guitarist now 69 soon and have videos under thejmillsband i.e. Boss ST2 stack,classical,fingerstyle and some shred,but unfortunately I suck at singing for the most part. I actually had the band members yrs back turn off my microphone (and it was my P.A.),so I have an Antares Autotune,and older Digitech,and a rackmount TC Helicon and TC Helicon Extreme, but the reason I mentioned that was because I've tried putting them in series so that at each stage the waveform gets a little closer to being on key, or at least I thought that's how it would happen.Long story short is that I still suck for the most part at singing,although I have had a few good songs (when I was in the zone lol).I appreciate all of your videos as they are all very well done.

Another excellent video Fil. It's absolutely true that if the singer (or instrumentalist) has just recorded a fantastic 'keeper' take, but, there is one word that was not quite right e.g. out of tune or phrasing/timing issue, then they have had the ability to re-record that single word for many years, even going way back into the analogue era. Here, the artist would simply record - onto another track - a few seconds before to a few seconds after the 'problem' section. The engineer would then simply comp (compile) the corrected section with the rest of the keeper take. Extremely easy to do with digital recording (set record punch in/out to cover the problem word). This has been a very acceptable practice way before the digital audio era began since it preserves almost the entirety of that original keeper take while allowing the artist to correct very minor sections. Of course, all these artists delivered a truly(!) live gig at every concert - they were all very seasoned professional musicians. Contrast this with what we see today, and what Fil has been demonstrating in this series so very well, where Autotune (Antares) - and manual tuning (Celemony Melodyne) - has been so grossly abused, to the point, where much of what you can purchase/hear today is by 'artists' who, quite literally, cannot sing live. Fil - can you show the audience a taste of the studio's 'real' manipulation tool - Melodyne? That'll make for a real eye-opener...!!!

Loved this. I just purchased the Melodyne studio and absolutely love it. I usually sing well but wave files don't lie! It's a great tool to fix some flat or sharp notes that are noticable. Otherwise I leave it alone. But you're right, if you overdo it, it becomes robotic. Thanks bro

Not only is this girl beautiful, but her vocals are amazing. I love this song ,and she gives me goosebumps. Absolutely ❤️ this singer . I’ve noticed that Alicia Keys has this natural break in her voice. I’d love to see her live ! I learn something new every time I tune in Fil . She also appears to be an incredible human being as well. She’s so into it, she’s just allowing it to flow , as it comes across with such emotion . Well you may as well be honest,and it goes to show you a lot about who she is . ❤️

I love the imperfections of emotions that great artists give us when they express their humanity 😊

Goodness! Thanks Fil.

This channel is so underrated! (Underfollowed maybe 😛) Stumbling over you Fil, is one of the best things YT has ever given me! 👍😁❤

Nice, clear explanation, Fil, and an added bonus (redundant? 😋) is that I had recently watched your discussion of Karen Carpenter’s amazing ability to be pitch-perfect, so it’s interesting to see two radically-different approaches that are both highly musical, yet come from two different planets, so to speak 😎!

Got to see Alicia live in a more festival type setting. She kills made me a fan. Just a super talent.

Thanks for clearing that up. I think a little pitch correction here and there is okay. Sounds more natural than auto tune.

Excellent explanation, thanks!

Very interesting. I have in the past Run a sound board for live bands but not in several years. I did use different effects on the vocals like echo, and slap back… etc but never auto tune or pitch correction. Since you have been making videos about auto tune I have been wondering something that I think you just answered. I do not like a lot of pop music or any rap music but sometimes I have no choice when I hear it at work. I notice something used a lot on a lot of those vocals. I didn’t know if it was some kind of “effect” on their vocals or “auto tune” or “pitch correction” it seems to be pitch correction from what you explained on this video. This is the first I heard pitch correction explained. I do like some of Alicia Keys stuff. She is definitely a talented singer / songwriter / musician. I appreciate the effort you put into your videos. Even though I haven’t run a soundboard in a while I still find interesting . I said all that just to say thank you for your videos. They are entertaining and informative.

Back! Been verrrrrry busy and sick. Catching up

Nice and useful explanations.

She's still pretty much spot on most of the time, sometimes really snapped to the grid, much more than Freddy Mercury for instance IIRC your other video. Thanks for the great content.

Another great episode Fil! I understand the physics of what you have been explaining over the past weeks, but it was eye-opening to actually see how easy it is...yikes!

Only found you and subscribed half an hour ago. Loving this series of videos. Can you look at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert? I was there on the night, and a few of the artists were truly awful, to be blunt. When I watched the concert later it just didn’t sound like the same thing I experienced, somehow. Did they use any correction in the edit? I remember a few artists on the night who truly blew the audience away - the sadly late, but utterly magnificent, George Michael, for instance. Others, like Elton John and Liza Minnelli, were fairly shocking to listen to live. Take away the less perfect stuff, and it takes away that something magical from the original - both for a voice and for a whole concert. So interesting. Thanks Fil. You’re doing a great thing for music and for the true human voice.

Great Video Fil!

Your content has really grown since I first saw the channel. Obligatory basic comment #23.7 But seriously, thanks for pointing all this out. I think it's really important.

Thanks Fil for keeping it real

Brilliiant! Thankyou an excellent explanation. Have you watched the Beatles doc, Get Back? Fascinating!

Aloha Fil! Thank you!

Over long years of listening, I've developed my own esoteric criteria for judging vocal performance that has more emphasis on consistency and command of dynamic control than pitch and timing (to a reasonable threshold of 'error' in my subjective hearing, absolutely taking implied style or genre into account, naturally - no one, I hope, expects a jazz or blues singer to be bang on the note, bang on the meter?). Auto-Tune, except when being employed clearly for effect, completely bugs my ears. Sneaky, judicious employment of pitch correction, not so much because I sympathize with singers who, perversely, become more nervous/self-conscious in the studio setting then ever they do on stage - I'm my best/worst frenemy in that regard). When I hear Auto-Tuned singers, I don't automatically leap to "it's because this singer is a hack," but "too bad, I'd rather hear them, 'flaws' and all (unless they are a hack)." When we edit the vocal track too much, we lose what distinguishes the human voice from instruments designed to be tuned to within ±cents of even-temperament beyond the ability of 99% ears to distinguish anyway.

Thanks for the explanation: I didn't know pitch correction existed before watching your videos. Now I know and I know the difference between pitch correction and auto-tune. Is there any chance you can do Kylie Minogue? Maybe a comparison between her early SA&W stuff and now please?

Fantastic explanation. Once again, would love to hear you react to Angelina Jordan -- Bohemian Rhapsody being a great place to start. No autotune required . . . .

I have to say personally I'd rather people didn't auto tune and heavily edit studio music. I hate when live sounds nothing like the group you think you love. That's such an upsetting experience and probably why I've been to so very few live concerts.

LOL! And I have an Auto-Tune™️ ad in the top right corner of my screen right now! 😄 "Vocals without limits" it says 😉 And "yay" for mentioning Warren Huart and his channel! Lovely guy, too! 😀 Oh, and 'coincidentally' there's something wrong with *his* left arm, too! May you both heal very quickly! 😌🙌🌈

Fascinating. As a listener, I really don't care if the occasional sung note is a bit sharp or flat, as it sounds more "authentic" and soulful anyway. If a vocal performance is so bad that it is consistently out, then it needs to be redone and redone until it's nearer the mark. I assume this is the technology that producers also use when recording orchestras, where there are bum notes that are audible enough to be annoying on the final recording, even if they are normal in a live performance

I hope your wrist is okay. Have a happy Christmas and a great New Year.

My untrained ear picks up on flat notes much better than sharp ones but these videos are helping me.

Would one go in the Gallery and make touch ups to a painting? A little bristle lines, just fill them in. Micro tones can be audibly pleasant. A record of American blues artists from the last century can be filled with out of tune guitars and pitchy vocals, and sound stunningly brilliant. I love Alicia's work, and wouldn't change a note. Good vid. Ü

Thank you, Fil! It seemed like you were really enjoying the first stanza. 😂

Excellent demonstration! If pitch correction were done manually and by ear like you demonstrated, music today wouldn't sound so artificial. I've learned so much watching your videos! I think the pressure to be perfect all the time has to play into obviously good singers using auto tune. Or maybe it is more accurate to say sound engineers/music producers rely on it. It's a complicated issue.

Don't know how long these tools were available but was wondering what your thought was about Karen Carpenter and Barbra Streisand. These are singers I grew up listening to and have enjoyed. Thanks for posting FIL. You have a new subscriber😎👍

Your analyses are always so informative. I have recently been listening to Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, and Charlotte Church. Would you put one or two of their songs on your pitch machine? One of the many things I enjoy about these singers is their control of vibrato - just the right touch. I love Joan Baez's voice, but her vibrato was always too much, calling attention to itself rather than being part of her performance.

Great video as always, but I feel there's some confusion with the terminology and methods used: - I think the point of the video is the difference between "automatic pitch correction" and "manual pitch correction" (not "Auto-Tune and Pitch Correction", which sounds very confusing) - "Pitch correction" could refer to Logic's built-in plugin, but also to the general practice of correcting the pitch of vocals and instruments. It doesn't necessarily mean that the process is 100% automatic. Correcting only specific notes could also be called "(manual) pitch correction". - "Auto-Tune" is, in its strictest meaning, a piece of software by Antares. It was the first piece of software to allow the automatic (or easy manual) tuning of vocals or instruments. Of course it's nowadays commonly used to refer to the general practice of altering the pitch of vocals and instruments after recording, but I feel that if you write it like "Auto-Tune", it refers specifically to the piece of software, not just generally to any pitch correction. And to make things even more confusing, Auto-Tune (the software) is not used in this video. - Auto-Tune (the software) has two modes: Auto (the default), which automatically fixes out-of-tune notes and works basically just like Logic's Pitch Correction, and Graph, which allows you to manually tune only the notes/parts you wish. - There's really no reason to use Logic's ancient Time and Pitch Machine and destructive editing any more, since Logic has Flex Pitch, which allows much more intuitive and flexible non-destructive pitch (and time) correction. Of course Flex Pitch (and Auto-Tune's Graph mode, and Melodyne etc) give you a lot more visual feedback, which makes it more difficult to use "just your ears", but directly editing the original audio data is just very cumbersome and often unnecessary nowadays.

Let's talk about it....Vocoder. I would like to think my comment on an earlier video inspired this video. Nice work Peg.

Fill, thanks man. As a teacher a former coach I can tell when someone cares about their craft. The Expedition about autotune vs pitch correction and Pitch correction implemented by someone with an ear versus someone who just pushes a button is a learning experience. I'm so old school and I think if we didn't use all this crap this wouldn't be necessary but I will concede if pitch correction is used by a producer with a really good ear the corrections are at least not mechanical. So I understand it better but guess what, I want no part of it. Lol. I want a band I want an artist regardless of genre to Lay It Down live with the other musicians involved in the recording. But I realized that the world doesn't revolve around me. I just feel bad for the last two generations that have been brought up on what some producers call Perfect music. Poor appreciations of nuance or may grow to the point where they see I sharp or flat as making the recording unacceptable. Please do everyone a favor. Explore everyone to Stevie Wonder's talking book. And yeah I realize that for the most part he was playing most of the instruments so you don't have five musicians playing together live. You have to have overdubs period and everything pretty much starts with drums and bass. But it's all organic and the voice is all Stevie Wonder. usual beatlefan as I am I would say 1971 was a time when vocalist in many genres were allowed to do their thing. Because there was no enhancement option, the option was let's do another take. I've seen Rick beato who I have a lot of respect for discuss Auto-Tune and he was honest enough to say when he was producing giving the budget and the recording time for the band it was a necessity. I love the guy but I think it was the fall of great music. If an artist or band has pitch that is off then they're not ready to be in the studio. If they're young maybe they just need to play live in small venues a little bit more and develop their pitch and there ear like the Beatles. I mention the Beatles only because just about everyone knows who they are 59 years later. But there are many artists from different generations and different genres that develops better pitch because they performed live in small venues period and also have played lots of cover songs. And covering famous songs demands a perfect sound so to speak. The bands I grew up with started off their careers having cover other people perfectly. Springsteen and his band before he became popular were asked by the people that ran The Stone Pony if they could back up Chuck Berry. Chuck Berry had no tolerance for anyone that didn't know his music. See the film hail hail rock and roll. He expected a backup band to know exactly the hell the song should sound like and then leave with a brown bag full of cash. The last part is what got him in trouble with the IRS sadly. Honestly I don't think the Beatles would have become anything without those two years in Hamburg. It's just like an athlete especially when you're young and you're approaching your Prime. Repetition repetition repetition. Then for the musician that has all the tools if he or she knows the sheet music There's an opportunity to improvise. I know this is an educator first you have to learn the sheet music or in genre the curriculum. Whether it's music or education or acting if you've been working at it long enough and you have everything to memory , now you can freelance when the opportunity presents itself. I guess it's a type of process that it goes across all genres. Master the sheet music and then you can relax and amazing things happen. Look at the get back sessions and then tell me I'm wrong.Fil you put a lot of time into this and don't think it's not appreciated or admired. I haven't had an opportunity to listen to your music but the few times you want to make a musical point and then just use your own voice I like what I hear. Thanks man!

Thanks once again FIL for your analysis. Love Alicia's voice in its natural state. It's what makes her and other artists unique.

Good take, Fil.

Happy Holidays